Jason Pierre-Paul invoked the word “fun,” as in what he’s not having enough of right now.

Justin Tuck agreed. And he added, “I (stink),” a phrase that had been sort of a personal rallying cry for him last season.

After four games, these Giants defensive ends are dissatisfied: With their team’s record (2-2). With how they’re pressuring the quarterback (eight team sacks, and only 3½ from the “NASCAR” rushers). With the missing feeling of, as Pierre-Paul put it, “running around like a big kid.”

“I don’t have that energy like I had last year. And that goes for the other guys, too,” Pierre-Paul said. “You can see it in their eyes that they’re not having fun with the game. They’ve got to find (themselves), and I’ve got to find myself.”

Perhaps there’s some of that going around the whole Giants defense. This is a unit that has been struck by injuries — five defensive starters did not practice Thursday — particularly in the secondary.

When Kenny Phillips left in the first quarter of Sunday’s loss to the Eagles with an MCL sprain, Tuck said the safety’s absence made the unit “gun-shy.” Phillips is not expected to play against the Browns on Sunday, while fellow starters Antrel Rolle (knee) and Corey Webster (hand/hamstring) say they’ll play through injuries that kept them off the practice field Thursday.

But the Giants’ task is to adjust, just like they have to do when facing a grab bag of tactics by opponents to neutralize their pass rush, such as chips and multiple tight end sets and looks that resemble punt formations.

“Sometimes you just have to whip somebody’s (butt) and make a play,” defensive coordinator Perry Fewell said, “and we need to do that.”

Part of the defensive ends’ frustration lies in the high standard set for their unit, internally and externally, as a perennially elite group of quarterback-hunters.
Tuck, who is officially credited with no sacks or quarterback hits this season, said he actually has three hits — “but I don’t have enough of them.” Pierre-Paul, who had 16½ sacks last season, said the expectations for him “brings me down a little.” Now in his third NFL season, Pierre-Paul said this is the first time in his pro career he’s felt this way.

“I feel like I haven’t been having fun lately,” said Pierre-Paul, who has 1½ sacks this season. “It feels like I’m kind of stressed a little, but I made an oath to myself that I’m just going to go out there and have fun.”

The Giants are coming off a tough 19-17 loss to their division rival Eagles in which Tuck agreed “we couldn’t function the way we wanted to.” They struggled to contain LeSean McCoy and Michael Vick, as the Eagles rushed for 191 yards.

Fewell said the defense didn’t alter much when Phillips went out. But Tuck said Phillips’ loss meant the defense couldn’t be as aggressive against a team like the Eagles, meaning less blitzing and man-to-man coverage.

Bluntly, Tuck explained, “There’s a reason why guys start and guys back up. There is going to be a drop off.”

He added: “Without getting too technical, there are just certain things you can’t do with guys like Vick or Cam Newton, when you don’t have a ‘Trel or you don’t have a K.P. back there.”

The Giants now have a full week to prepare without Phillips. Fewell said Stevie Brown, who didn’t make any “major errors” against the Eagles, would start in his place.

Tuck noted the Browns don’t have personnel like Vick, McCoy or DeSean Jackson. Instead, they have rookies Brandon Weeden and Trent Richardson, so he hopes they Giants will match up better.

The Giants are searching: For answers, a winning record and more fun.

“We aren’t living up to the way we expect to be around here,” Tuck said. “But it’s a young season. We’ll figure it out. We’re not going to make any excuses about it. We haven’t played the way that we’re capable of playing, and therefore haven’t had the same amount of fun.”